1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to disposable body substance isolation equipment, and in particular, to medical masks with eye shields that are compatible with loupe lights.
2. Description of Related Art
Over the last several decades, both medical professionals and the general public have become far more aware of the dangers of pathogens in bodily fluids. Some of the pathogens themselves have become increasingly virulent, and drug resistance has become an issue with strains of bacteria that were once easily eradicated using standard antibiotics.
Products that are intended to prevent a medical practitioner from coming into contact with potentially infectious bodily fluids are referred to generally as body substance isolation (BSI) equipment. One of the most common types of BSI is the face mask.
Face masks exist in several forms, perhaps the most common of which is the filter mask. A filter mask is essentially a piece of material that is worn over the nose and mouth to filter the incoming and outgoing breath, thus preventing the wearer from being infected by others and others from being infected by the wearer. The filter mask is typically tied around the back of the head and neck, or includes elastic straps that are looped over the ears. Surgeons typically wear this kind of face mask during most surgical procedures, and some patients with chronic conditions, like tuberculosis, may routinely wear filter masks to prevent others from becoming infected.
Filter masks may be adequate for some applications where small droplets in the breath are the primary concern. However, for applications in which blood and other bodily fluids may splash or splatter, full-face protection may be more desirable. For example, full-face protection is becoming increasingly common in dental offices, where the dentist or hygenist has close contact with the patient.
There are several common options for full-face protection. The first, and perhaps most complete, is a helmet-style shield that fits over the head and covers the face entirely. In some versions, the face shield portion may rotate up and out of the way when not needed. Although effective and able to offer full wrap-around protection of the head and face, this equipment is cumbersome, and can be hot and uncomfortable to wear.
A second, lighter option is a filter mask with an integrated plastic face shield. In masks of this sort, a clear piece of plastic is attached to and around the filter mask and extends upwardly to cover the face. While useful, and often more comfortable than a helmet-style shield, these disposable integrated face shields often do not have good wrap-around coverage of the face, i.e., they may offer poor protection for the side of the face and are not contoured to fit the face well.
Another problem with the standard disposable integrated face shield is that medical providers often wear glasses or other equipment on their faces. For example, it is extremely common for a medical provider to wear a set of loupes. Loupes bear a general resemblance to glasses, and typically include magnifiers (2.5× and 3.5× are common magnifications) as well as a light. When worn, a loupe light is typically centered on the brow, just above the bridge of the nose. Unfortunately, standard disposable face shields cannot accommodate this kind of equipment, which projects out from the face.